Session 3 Notes and Note-taking

Why take notes anyway? We take notes for several reasons: They keep us focused and attentive They familiarise us with the content being studied They are an excellent revision tool They help us understand the information we are taking in

Why take notes anyway? Why take notes anyway? How do we really understand the information? We absorb the information being conveyed, we interpret it, and we convert that information into our own knowledge by explaining it through our own interpretation through our notes, diagrams etc. This ‘simplification’ of the material we are learning will make it easier for us to remember it in the long-term

Why take notes anyway? Why take notes anyway? Repetition is crucially important if we want to be able to absorb information well Students who regularly revise the material that is covered have a much stronger chance of succeeding rather than the students who only study in the weeks prior to exams

Why take notes anyway? If we take notes on a consistent basis and study the content in a regular pattern we will store the information long-term Even if you are already familiar with the information being presented you should still be looking to take notes because the repetition will just reinforce the content already stored away

Why take notes anyway? Studying by using notes in this way is EXTREMELY EFFECTIVE YOU WILL SUCCEED IF YOU STUDY LIKE THIS!!!

How to take notes You can not teach yourself to take effective notes quickly It is an acquired skill Learning how to take effective notes is fundamental for your studies in senior secondary and your subsequent tertiary education – University for example

How to take notes While taking notes you must pay attention to what is being discussed or presented Don’t try to write everything down! Listen attentively, interpret the information, then write it down in a way that you can easily understand and that is not too complicated Constantly make decisions as to what information YOU THINK is most important, and then centre your notes around those decisions

How to take notes As your note-taking skills become more and more developed you will easily begin to start prioritising the most important information Understanding which information to convert to study notes and which information to leave out is a very helpful skill

Examples of note taking We can take notes in many different ways, some effective methods are: Bullet points Summaries Mind Maps

Examples The following are visual examples of note- taking methods

Examples of Note-taking Bullet Points are helpful because: They are brief and concise They are easy to understand They are structured and ordered They make it easy to identify the most important information They are an easy form of notes to make They are extremely useful for revision

Examples of Note-taking Summaries are useful because: They bring all the important concepts together and culminate them in an easy-to-read way They convert large slabs of information into concise parts that can be absorbed and learnt They leave out irrelevant material

Examples of Note-taking Mind Maps are helpful because: Colour and illustration stimulate the mind They can sum up many pages of written notes Making a pattern is an active form of learning They can help us plan our essays You can easily add to them You can identify the key points quickly

Conclusion These methods of note-taking are not the only way you can take effective notes Find out what way suits you and teach yourself how to take the best notes possible Exam revision becomes a lot simpler and quicker if you already have an extensive, well-written source of notes that you have created The notes will be easy to understand and remember because YOU created them

Conclusion Developing this skill is a must You will not be able to conquer courses with large amounts of content if you do not start practicing this skill now If you teach yourself to take effective notes early, you will be well experienced by the time you reach the HSC Always remember: It gets easier with experience, so start now!